Awkward Growth Spurt
by Moonshayde
Summary: Dean gets stuck in a hairy situation. Teen!chester Fic. Pre-series. No Spoilers.


_Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters are the property of Eric Kripke and co. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This is for entertainment purposes only; no financial profit has been gained from this story. This story is not mean to infringe upon the rights of the above-mentioned establishments._

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The change happened so fast that Sam barely had any time to react.

The hair spun and grew in choppy waves, like it had a mind of its own, marching upward from Dean's hand toward his elbow and over his upper arm. While Dean frantically tried to wipe it off or rip it out, the growth continued to expand and thicken, poking out of the collar of his undershirt in little tufts, before spreading toward his face and left side. Sam felt his stomach clutch with fear as Dean fell to the floor by his discarded overshirt, nearly lost in the mass of golden brown hair. Despite the change, Dean gave him a very direct "don't you dare" look.

_Screw that_, Sam thought. "Dad!"

John rushed into the storage area, his gloved hands still blackened from the purification work he was doing on the altar in the adjoining room. His gaze fell on Sam first and quickly darted left to Dean – or what was left of Dean – on the floor.

If John was frightened, he didn't show it. He immediately started to rip the gloves from his hands and tossed them to the side. "Sam, get me another pair."

This was one time Sam wasn't going to argue. He jogged over to the duffle on the ground and ripped it open to grab a spare set of gloves. As he rushed over to his father's side, John held out a hand, urging him to stop.

"Stay back. Just toss 'em to me."

Sam complied again, though his initial shock and fear over the change had now turned completely into panic. He didn't know what to do. He first thought that maybe Dean had become a werewolf, but he didn't look like one, and from what Sam had learned people don't just spontaneously become werewolves. Then, he thought maybe Dean was de-evolving into some kind of pre-human primate, and imagined having to explain why his big brother looked like a monkey. But from where Sam was standing, he didn't see a monkey tail or even a monkey face. He just saw a lot of hair.

John helped Dean into a sitting position and started to inspect the two-inch growth that covered the once fleshy parts of his body. The way his clothes puffed out, Sam figured it was all over him, but it wasn't a mental image he really wanted to keep.

"Did you touch anything in here?" John asked. He never looked back at Sam, but he knew the question was aimed at both of them.

"No," Sam's gaze flickered to the dusty, cluttered shelves of the storage room belonging to the Udu. "I just looked at the shelves."

"Dean?"

Dean seemed to stir from his stupor. It took a few more careful pokes and prods to get his attention, but when he fully broke out of his daze, he jerked and nearly jumped half way across the room. John barely managed to keep him from crashing into the glass containers lined behind them.

"What did you touch, Dean?"

"I dunno! What the hell is this?" He struggled to move again, but John sat him back down.

Sam could tell that Dean was freaking out underneath all the hair somewhere, but John's calm demeanor seemed to help settle him down. It also allowed Sam to sigh with relief. If their dad wasn't on edge, then that meant Dean would be okay.

"Think," John said firmly. "I need to know."

Dean sighed, causing the hair around him to flutter. "I was over there," he said, pointing to a shelf full of various thick, colorful liquids. "But I didn't touch any of mad scientist's potions."

John gave him a pat on the shoulder and ordered him to stay. Sam watched him walk to the row of liquids and tensed, afraid that the same thing would happen to his dad. To Sam's relief, nothing did. John kept an adequate distance from the shelf while scanning it thoroughly. Finally, he saw John pause in front of a long slender bottle. He turned to Dean and motioned to it.

"Were you over here?" he asked.

Dean nodded.

John pointed to the shelf. "The bottle is leaking. Dean, you have to be more careful."

"I didn't know," Dean protested. "It's not my fault the Udu creep sucks at housekeeping."

John just shook his head. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a bag and set of heavy forceps. Carefully, he reached over and clamped them over the neck of the bottle.

Sam held his breath as he waited for his dad to finish. John was slowly moving the bottle off the shelf. One wrong move and it could fall and shatter. Then, he remembered Dean.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked.

Dean held up his arms. The hair looked a good four inches long now. "What do you think?"

That was when a horrible thought crossed his mind. What if the spell couldn't be undone?

"Is he--?"

"He's going to be fine." John put the bottle in a baggy. "It's superficial. The hair should fall out in a few days."

"Few days?" Dean groaned. "I'm freakin' Teen Wolf without the teeth or the cool chicks."

"You're lucky," John told him. "Do you realize what this is used for?"

Both boys stared at him.

"This Udu is dangerous. It uses potions and other magic items to turn people into animals or creatures or worse. Then, it hunts them."

Sam felt his fingertips grow cold. He figured Dean was white as a ghost under all that hair.

"This is just one ingredient. Some kind of growth accelerant." He gave Dean a pointed look. "This could have been a lot worse. The Udu is dead. If it had been a full spell, it might have been permanent."

John didn't need to elaborate. One wrong move and Dean might have come home as a cat. And Sam didn't like cats.

"I told you boys not to come in here." His stern face was unwavering. "I expect you to listen, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," they both muttered.

"Now, go sit in the car while I finish cleaning up in here." When they hesitated, his face softened. "I'll be all right. And it's not contagious," he added, assuaging Sam's unspoken fears.

Dean rose to his feet and lumbered over to Sam. When they reached the top of the stairs and left the cellar, Sam looked over to his brother and found himself finally able to smile. The hair on Dean's head was long enough to flop around him, while his beard and the rest of the hair on his body were a good six inches long. He looked like a runty Bigfoot or a midget Neanderthal.

Sam reached over and gave him a pat on the head. "I always wanted a pet."

Dean jerked away and scowled at him. "I'm glad you think it's so funny." He nearly tripped on his own hair and swore. "You know, this is all your fault."

"My fault?"

"I told you we shouldn't go inside. Dad gave us an order."

"No one twisted your arm to come," Sam said.

"I wasn't letting you in there alone." He sighed. "Dammit, I'm like Cousin It." He rubbed at his hairy face. "Only more handsome."

Sam grinned. "Looks like you'll be needing the Nair this time."

Dean glared at him. "When this is over, I am so getting even."

Sam's grin widened. He knew once they all got back to the motel, he and Dean were in for a good tongue-lashing. But despite the inevitable punishment, it was worth it. He was going to cherish this moment for a long time. And he was going to make sure he got the Polaroid to memorialize it.


End file.
